Refrigerating apparatus



Oct. 19, 1937.

E. H. MITCHELL 2,096,256

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 25. 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 50510? f/. MIrc/MwA.

HIS ATTORNEYS.

E. H. MITCHELL 2,096,256

REFRIGERAT ING APPARATUS Oct. 19, 1937.

Filed Jan. 25. 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 J uZ- 5 I I. n I u INVENTOR, ll flrcmub, BY I .4

ms ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 19, 1937. E. H. MITCHELL REFRIGERATlNG APPARATUS Filed Jan. 25, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. 6, M/rc/m44,

,MMMZA,

HIS ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 19, 1937 BEFIIIGEBATING APPARATUS Edgar 1!. Mitchell. Dayton, Ohio, lllignor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton. Ohio, a

corporation of Delaware Application January 25, 1935, Serial No. 3,493

. Y I v 1. Claims. The present invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and particularly to refrigerator cabinets of the household food storage type.

Recently refrigerator cabinets for household 5 food storage purposes of the so-called lift or open-top type have been put on the market. These cabinets include a food storage compartment having a single access opening provided in the top thereof which opening is closed by a 10 pivotally mounted door. Certain objections have been raised in the use of these cabinets which has resulted in decreased popularity thereof.

' These objections, are forthcoming because of the inconvenience of removing food from the shelf 15 arrangement employed in the cabinets and be- A cause of the structure and location of the cooling element mounted in the food compartment. My invention is directed toan improved shelf arrangement which facilitates removal of food 2 products from the food storage compartment of a refrigerator of the open-top type thereby eliminating objections to the use thereof. One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved household refrigerator 25 cabinet of the top opening type.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a top openingtype household refrigerator cabinet with an improved shelf arrangement for facilitating the placing of food products 30 in the storage compartment thereof and for providing selective removal of the products from the compartment.

' A further object of the present invention is to provide a household refrigerator cabinet of the 35 type having an access opening in the top wall of the food storage compartment formed therein with a foodsupporting shelf arrangement which includes a plurality of shelves spaced vertically apart throughout the heighth of the compost- 40 ment and movable relative to the compartment simultaneously with movement of the compartment opening closure member to a point above or on substantially the same horizontal plane with the open-top of the food compartment. In carrying out the foregoing objects it is a still further object of the invention to provide a refrigerating apparatus wherein movement of a door, employed for closing an opening leading to a food storage compartment in a cabinet, re- 50 moves an ice tray from its support on a cooling element, disposed in the compartment, and moves the tray toward the compartment opening.

Further objects and advantagesof the present invention will be apparent from the following 5 description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view partly fragmentary and partly in elevation of a refrlgerat- 5 ing apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the refrigerating apparatus taken on the lines 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the refrigerating apparatus disclosed in Fig. 1 and showing the food storage compartment door of the refrigerator cabinet inopen position;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 and showing a means for engaging an ice tray supported on a cooling element within the food storage compartment of the refrigerator cabinet for removing the tray from its support; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view taken in the direction of the lines 5-5 in Fig. 2 and disclosing a portion of an elevating means.

Referring to the drawings, for the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in Fig. 1 thereof a refrigerating apparatus including a cabinet of the household food storage time generally represented by the reference character In. Cabinet III has a plurality of upright insulating walls II and a horizontal insulating wall I! forming an open-top food storage compartment II in the cabinet. A metal shell or panel II is placed over the insulating walls II for providing the cabinet with a metallic outer wall surface and for providing a support for the cabinet. A metal plate II is welded or otherwise secured to shell it above the bottom thereof to support the horizontal insulating wall l2 and to provide a machine compartment It in the lower portion of the cabinet It. The food compartment I3 is lined with a metallic lining member II. A door opening wood frame member I! surrounds the open top of the compartment I3. The upper edges of the metal shell i4 and the upper edges of the compartment liner I! are turned over upon and may be secured to the wood frame member It in any suitable and well-known manner. A molding 2! of insulating material is placed over and secured to the wood frame I! and forms the top surface ofthe walls II. A door or closure member 22 having suitable gasket or sealing means thereon engages the molding 2! at the top of the walls II and seals the compartment it from air externally of the cabinet III. A cooling element or evaporator 24 preferably of the corrugated sheet metal variety comprising a ver--' 5s mam extending or cooling portion 25, disposed or receptacle 29, adapted to contain water or other substance to be congealed or frozen by the cooling effect of the evaporator, disposed thereon. The tray 23 includes a pair of handles 3| and 32 extending outwardly from walls thereof and beyond the edges of the evaporator 24. The purpose and function of the handles 3| and 32 on tray 23- will be more fully described hereinafter.

The evaporator 24 is connected with a closed refrigerating system. The refrigerating system includes a motor-compressor unit 35 supported in any suitable manner in the machine compartment l6. A pipe 36 extends from the compressor of the unit 35 to the upper end of a condenserreceiver 31, preferably of the corrugated sheet metal variety, mounted on the back wall of cabinet HI and is adapted to conduct refrigerant compressed by the compressor to the condenser. A pipe 38 extends from the lower portion of condenser-receiver 31, to the lower or tray support ing portion 26 of evaporator 24 and is adapted to conduct refrigerant condensed and liquefied in condenser-receiver 31 to the evaporator. An expansion device or valve 39, of any suitable or conventional design, is interposed in the pipe line v38 for controlling flow of liquid refrigerant to the evaporator 24. Refrigerant enters the lower portion 26 of evaporator 24, vaporizes upon ab-v sorbing heat from the tray 29 and compartment l3, and flows to the upper portion 25 of the evaporator. A pipe 4| connected to the upper portion 25 of evaporator 24 conducts gaseous refrigerant back to the compressor of the motor-compressor unit 35. The motor of the motor-compressor unit 35 .is' connected with a suitable source of electrical. supply through the switch. means 42 disposed in compartment I3. Operation of the electric motor of the motor-compressor unit 35 is controlled by the switch means 42 whichhas a wire connection 43 with the motor. The switch means 42 is actuated by a suitable diaphragm or bellows caused to be moved by pressure of a volatile fluid sealed within a thermostatic bulb 44 connected with the switch 42 by the pipe 45. Refrigerating systems of the type herein disclosed and their operation or function are well-known to those skilled in the art and need no further description.

Since, as before stated, there are certain 0bjections to the use of open or lift-top refrigerator cabinets now on the market I have provided an improved shelving arrangement for such cabinets which eliminates the objections and facilitates removal of food products from the food storage compartment. The improved shelving arrangement herein disclosed comprises a plurality of legs or supporting standards 5| having their upper ends secured to the door or closure member 22, in any suitable manner, and extending at the corners of compartment l3 to a point closely adjacent the bottom wall of the food storage compartment. The four legs or supporting standards 5| are, in the present disclosure, guided by abutment thereof with the corners of the food compartment l3. It is to be understood, however, that other arrangements such as tracks or the like could-be provided for guiding the supporting members 5| if desired. A pluto are, by virtue of the standards being carried by and secured to the door or closure member 22, movable simultaneously with movement of the door 22. When the door or closure member 22 is elevated the shelves 52 and 53 will also be elevated and this elevation is for the purpose of bringing or raising any selected one of the shelves to a position closely adjacent or into substantially horizontal alignment with the open top of cabinet III to facilitate removal of food products supported on the shelf therefrom.

In order to lift the door or closure member 22 and shelves 52 and 53 there may be a counterbalance cable or the like arrangement provided to permit elevation with a minimum of force. A crank and suitable shaft, cable and pulley means associated with the crank are provided in the present disclosure for elevating the door 22 and shelves 52 and 53. The elevating means herein disclosed includes a shaft 55 secured to the outer surface of the compartment liner |1 close to the top thereof by clamps or other securing means 56. A pair of large pulleys 51 are stationarily mounted upon shaft 55, one on each side of compartment i3 and within the insulated walls I l. A second pair of pulleys 53 are secured by suitable brackets 53 to the outer surface of compartment liner H on opposite sides of compartment l3. A third pair of pulleys, one of which is indicated by the reference character 63 in Fig. 1 of the drawings, are also stationarily mounted by brackets 6| upon the outer surface of liner member i1. A cable 62 has its one end 63 secured to the wheel or pulley 51 in any suitable manner and extends over pulleys 58 and 50. The other end 54 of cable 62 is stationarily secured to the rim or edge of the lowermost shelf 53 of the shelf arrangement carried by the door or closure member 22. A second cable similar to the cable 62 is of course provided for association with the other pulleys of the pairs thereof on the opposite .side of cabinet ID. The shaft 55 has its one end 66 extending outwardly of the cabinet beyond the outer shell or panel 4 thereof. A crank member 61 is stationarily mounted upon the end 60 of shaft 55. The crank member 61 is preferably of the well-known and so-called spring pressed handle type and includes a projecting pin 68 (see Fig. 2)which is movable toward or away from the outer surface of the cabinet exterior shell or panel '|4 upon horizontal movement of the handle.

The cabinet shell or panel I 4 is provided with a plurality of openings or indentations 1| (see Fig.

5) arranged in a circle adjacent the path of lotation of the handle of crank 61. These openings or indentations 1| may be provided in a separate plate attached to the wall of cabinet if .desired and are adapted to receive the pin 63 which extends from crank 61 for the purpose of holding crank means 6! in a clockwise direction (see Figs. 1 and eachof the pair of cables 62 will move about the pulleys "and 60 and will be wound upon each of the pair of wheels or pulleys 61 to thereby simultaneously elevate the door or closure member 22,- standards 6! and shelves 62 and 53 from the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings to any elevated position such as shown in Fig. 3 thereof. After the shelf arrangement has 'been raised by rotation of the crank 61, to a predetermined position, the handle of crank 61 may then be moved horizontally toward the wall surface ll of cabinet I 0 so that the pin 66 will enter one of the plurality of openings or indentations 'ii to hold the shelf arrangement in an elevated position. This manipulation of the crank handle is of course reversed upon operating the crank to lower the shelf arrangement and to close the door 22 upon the cabinet l0.

Referring now to Fig. 4 of the drawings it will be noted that the edge of shelf 63 is cut away'or has its rim I5 formed through a certain predetermined contour to permit the food supporting surface thereof to be moved beyond the horizontallyv disposed receptacle supporting portion 26' of evaporator 24 in either vertical direction without striking the evaporator. However, the handles 3i and 32 on tray 29 extend outwardly beyond the evaporator 24 in the path of movement of shelf 53. Therefore when the shelf arrangement is moved upwardly, in the manner previously described, rim of shelf 63 engages the underside of the handles 3! and 32 of tray 29 to lift the tray from the supporting portion 26 of evaporator 24 and to move the tray in the same direction of movement of the door 22 and toward the open top of cabinet ill (see Fig.

' 3). The tray 29 may be moved to a point slightly below the top surface of cabinet iii to permit the operator to remove the tray from the shelf 53 and food compartment l3 by reaching between shelf 53 and the shelf 62 thereabove. The outer ends of the tray handles 3i and 32 maybe curved downwardly so as to prevent the tray 29 .from slipping off of the rim 15 of shelf 63 during movement of the shelf. It is to be understood that in order to provide easy removal of tray 29 from its support 26 the tray or the tray support may be tilted so as to cause the rim 15 of shelf 53 to engage one of the tray handles before engagement thereof with the other. tray handle. This will permit an ice bond formed between the tray and its support to be readily broken whereby the .tray is substant lly pealed from its support 26.

During the act 0 moving the shelf arrangement into its normal position, within compartment i3 to cause the door 22 to seal the tray 29 and compartment l3 from atmosphere externally of cabinet ill, rim I5 of shelf 53 will move downwardly of the portion 26 of evaporator 24 and the tray 29 will again rest or be positioned on the supporting portion 26 of evaporator 24 to permit continued cooling or freezing of the contents of the tray by the evaporator. Thus I have provided means for removing the tray 29 from a normally inaccessible position within compartment l3 to a readily accessible position relative to the open top of compartment i3.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided an improved household refrigerating apparatus of the top opening type and that I have also provided an improved shelf arrangement for such refrigerators. Bending over and reaching to the bottom of the food compartment of open-top refrigerators by the user is eliminated by my improved apparatus. My apparatus improved apparatus permits the tray, utilized for congealing or freezing a substance, to be positioned in the lowermost or coldest part of the food compartment, normally out of contact with relatively warm air in the upper part of the food compartment, and the contents of the tray will therefore be quickly congealed or frozen. My improved apparatus and the construction and arrangement of the cooling element or evaporator therein provides efllcient refrigeration for the food storage compartment while at the same time facilitating removal of food products and an ice tray from the refrigerated compartment of the cabinet. 7

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cabinet having a plurality of insulating walls forming an open-top food storage compartment therein, a. cooling element of a refrigerating system mounted within said compartment for cooling the interior thereof, means for closing the open top of said compartment means carried by said closing means and normally depending a substantial distance into said compartment from the open top thereof, a plurality of vertically spaced apart and horizontally disposed food supporting shelves secured to said depending means within said compartment, said cooling element including a substantially horizontally disposed receptacle supporting portion located between a certain pair of said food supporting shelves, a receptacle adapted to contain a substanoe to be congealed or frozen disposed on and 2. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cabinet having a plurality of insulating walls forming a food storage compartment having an access opening therein, a closure member for closing the access opening in-said compartment, a cooling element of a refrigerating system mounted within said compartment for cooling the interior thereof, said cooling element including a receptacle supporting portion, a receptacle adapted to contain a substance to be congealed or frozen disposed on said supporting portion of said cooling element, and means associated with and actuated by movement of said closure member for moving said receptacle away from its support on said cooling element and toward said compartment opening.

3. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in A combination, a cabinet having a plurality of insaid compartment,a cooling element of a refrigerating system mounted within said compartment forcooling the interior thereof, said cooling element including a receptacle supporting portion, a receptacle adapted to contain a substance to be congealed or frozen disposed on said sup supporting shelves within said-compartment.

4. A refrigerating apparatus comprising or combination, a cabinet having a plurality of insu lating walls forming a food storage compartment having an access opening therein, a closure member for closing the access opening in said compartment, .a cooling element of a refrigeratingsystem mounted within said compartment for cooling the interior thereof, said cooling element including a receptacle supporting portion, a receptable adapted to contain a substance to be congealed or frozen disposed on said supporting portion of said cooling element, said supporting portion of said cooling element and said receptacle thereon normally being in an inaccessible position within said compartment relative to the opening therein, and means associated with and actuated by movement of said closure member for moving said receptacle away from its support on said cooling element and toward said compartment opening into an accessible position relative to said openins- 5. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, acabinet having a plurality of insulating walls forming an open-top food storage compartment therein, a closure member for closing the open top of said compartment, a cooling element of a refrigerating system mounted within said compartment for cooling the interior thereof, said cooling element including a substantially horizontally disposed receptacle supporting portion located a substantial distance inwardly of the open top of said compartment, a receptacle adapted to contain a substance to be congealed or frozen disposed on said supporting portion of said cooling element, and means associated with and actuated by movement of said closure member for removing said receptacle from its support 'on said cooling element and for moving the receptacle toward the open top of said compartment.

6. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cabinet having a plurality of insulating walls forming an open-top food storage compartment therein, a closure member for closing the open top of said compartment, a cooling element of a refrigerating system mounted within said compartment for cooling the interior thereof, said cooling element including a substantially horizontally disposed receptacle supporting portion located a substantial distance inwardly of the open top of said compartment, a receptacle adapted to contain a substance to be congealed or frozen disposed on said supporting portion of said cooling element, means associated with and actuated by movement of said closure member for lifting said receptacle from its support on said '7. A. refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cabinet having a food storage compartment therein, a cooling element of a refrigerating system disposed in said compartment for cooling the interior thereof, said cooling element including a receptacle supporting portion, a receptacle adapted to contain a substance to be congealed or frozen disposed on said supporting portion of said cooling element, movable means for sealing said compartment from atmosphere externally of said cabinet, and means associated with and actuated by movement of said sealing means for moving said receptacle in the direction of movement of the sealing means.

8. A refrigerator comprising an insulated compartment, a closure therefor, an ice making tray in said compartment and a vaporizer adapted to support said tray, means connected with said closure to remove said tray to a point remote from said vaporizer, as and when said closure is opened.

9. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, an insulated compartment having an opening therein, a closure member for said compartment opening, a cooling element of a refrigerating system exposed to air within said compartment for cooling and causing circulation of the air, a receptacle adapted to contain a substance to be congealed or frozen supported within said compartment in intimate thermal contact with said cooling element, means cooperating with said closure member for moving said receptacle relative to said cooling element into a position accessible through said compartment opening as and when said member is opened.

10. A refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, an insulated compartment having an opening in its top wall, a movable closure member for said compartment opening, a cooling element of a refrigerating system exposed to air within said compartment for cooling and causing circulation of the air, a receptacle adapted to contain a substance to be congealed or frozen supported within said compartment in intimate thermal contact with said cooling element, means depending from said closure member to a point below a portion of said receptacle for moving the receptacle upwardly relative to said cooling element into a position closely adjacent the opening in the compartment top wall as and when said member is opened.

- EDGAR H. MITCHELL. 

